On Saturday 28th April I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of Jen & Chris at Sheene Mill in the village Melbourn near Royston.
It had been six years since I’d last photographed a wedding at Sheene Mill so I was excited to be going back again. It’s a beautiful 16th century mill house with lovely gardens landscaped around the mill pond, including resident swan, who spent the whole day watching me with a suspicious eye.
On the subject of birds Jen and Chris brought their own. One thousand origami cranes! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on the subject….
Thousand Origami Cranes (千羽鶴 Senbazuru) is a group of one thousand origami paper cranes held together by strings. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the gods. Some stories believe you are granted happiness and eternal good luck instead of just one wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise) and is said to live for a thousand years: That is why 1000 cranes are made, one for each year. In some stories it is believed that the 1000 cranes must be completed within one year and they must all be made by the person who is to make the wish at the end.
I don’t know if Jen made them all herself or if her husband-to-be helped out. But it must have taken AGES!! They have the patience of saints! And whilst it may have taken time to make them all, they cranes hung all around the venue looked amazing. And it was crane hanging that was going on when I got to the venue, with Chris, his parents and groomsmen keeping themselves busy.
Jen and the girls arrived a little later and headed straight for the bridal suite. They were great fun and clearly enjoyed the “getting ready” part of the day. I’d met Jen when she was bridesmaid for Claire back in 2016, so it was nice to see both girls again, this time with the roles reversed.
The wedding day itself was a really relaxed and fun occasion with the couple joined by a lovely group of family and friends. The weather prevented an outdoor service but at least it was dry so we could get outside for photos later on. And while the guests mingled inside there were plenty of opportunities for great natural shots.
Jen & Chris had their honeymoon in Japan and I know they planned to take the origami cranes with them. I’ll look forward to hearing all about that another time. For now, please enjoy this selection of pictures of a lovely day. Wishing Jen & Chris all the very best for future as husband and wife….
